The present invention is directed to a method for administering additional services in a mobile communication network, whereby the additional services can be used according to an intelligent network structure.
Mobile communication systems such as the known GSM mobile radio network (Global System for Mobile Communication) are composed of switching equipment networked with one another to which respective base stations and, via an air interface using these base stations, communication terminal equipment can be connected. These communication terminal equipment enable network access for a subscriber of this mobile communication system. The switching equipment also effect the transition to other networks, for example data transmission networks or a fixed network.
It is also known from the GSM mobile radio network that two memory units are allocated to each subscriber in which subscriber-specific data about the intrinsic network services are respectively stored. One of these memory units realizes what is referred to as the home register that is usually located at a permanently defined place and in which the data on which the registration of the subscriber is based is stored. A second memory unit for what is referred to as the visitor register is allocated to the momentary location of the mobile subscriber. The memory unit for the visitor register in which the data specific to a subscriber are located also changes dependent on the location of the mobile subscriber.
The additional services affected by the present invention should be realized according to an intelligent network topology by independent service control units. These service control units and the profiles of the additional services, including the information necessary for their realization, deposited therein can thus be modified independently of the mobile communication network. It is known from J. Biala, "Mobilfunk und Intelligente Netze", Vieweg Verlag, Wiesbaden, 1995, pp. 37/8, 66-71, 146-151, 239-248, 308-309, that the services usable in an intelligent network are initiated in a service switching unit in order to effect an abort from the standard call processing and, thus, activate an access to additional services. Such service switching units are usually realized in the switching equipment.
It is known from the aforementioned patent application to initiate the utilization of additional services in that an active input of a call number determined for this service ensues on the part of the respective subscriber. The call number is interpreted in the switching equipment, and the call is forwarded to the respective service control unit for the conversion. This, however, means additional outlay for the subscriber.
It is also known to provide a service identifier as subscriber-associated subscriber data in the respective subscriber database, and to trigger a branch to a service control unit indicated in a subscriber database of the intelligent network by interpreting this service identifier during the call handling given an incoming or outgoing call. In this solution, the additional services can be accessed by the user without the user having to explicitly initiate this by indicating a specific call number. A distinction between the additional services, however, is not possible therewith since a maximum of one service identifier is contained in the visitor register, which controls the additional services for the calls outgoing from the user, and in the home register, which controls the calls incoming for the user. The flexibility in the design and utilization of additional services is thus greatly restricted.